Former India skipper Virat Kohli has said his desire to continue playing ODI cricket and potentially feature in the 2027 ICC World Cup comes from his love for the game, while making it clear that he does not want to be in a position where he constantly has to prove his worth to remain in the Indian team.
Virat Kohli (Photo: IANS)
Former India skipper Virat Kohli has said his desire to continue playing ODI cricket and potentially feature in the 2027 ICC World Cup comes from his love for the game, while making it clear that he does not want to be in a position where he constantly has to prove his worth to remain in the Indian team.
Speaking on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru podcast, Kohli spoke openly about his mindset regarding his future with the Indian ODI team. The talismanic right-hander said he still feels deeply connected to the game and remains ready to contribute as long as the team believes he can add value to the environment.
Advertisement
“My perspective is very clear. If I can add value to the environment that I’m a part of and the environment feels like I can add value, I’ll be seen,” Kohli said.
Advertisement
“If I’m made to feel like I need to prove my worth and my value, I’m not in that space. And because I’m being honest to my preparation, I’m being honest to how I approach the game.
“I put my head down, I work hard. I’m very thankful to God for giving me everything that I’ve been given in my cricketing career. And I feel very blessed and grateful for the opportunity. And I play the game in the right way. You want me to run boundary to boundary for 40 overs in an ODI game, I will do that without a complaint.
“Because I prepare accordingly. I prepare for the fact that I will field 50 overs every ball like it’s the last ball I’m going to play in my career. And I will bat that way. And I will run between the wickets that way. And I will do everything possible for the team.
“After operating like this, if I have to be in a place where I have to prove my worth and value, that place is not meant to be for me,” Kohli added.
“And I am very clear in my head from that perspective. That’s why when I went back to play, I was very clear in my head, I’m not going out there to prove anything to anyone. I’m going to play because I love playing the game,” he further said.
Kohli has already stepped away from Test cricket and T20 internationals, which has naturally increased speculation around how long he plans to continue in the ODI format. Despite that uncertainty, his performances in one-day cricket over the last two years have remained exceptionally strong.
The veteran batter has scored three ODI centuries in 2025 and is averaging 65.10 in the format this year. In his three ODI appearances this season, Kohli has averaged 80, continuing to show the consistency that has defined his career.
His commitment to staying prepared for international cricket also took him back to the domestic circuit earlier this year. Kohli made a rare appearance for Delhi in the 2025/26 Vijay Hazare Trophy and impressed immediately by scoring 131 and 77 in two matches.
Reflecting on that experience, Kohli said reconnecting with the simple joy of batting helped him rediscover the excitement he felt as a young cricketer. “That’s how I played Vijay Hazare as well. It was amazing,” Kohli says. “There was not a person in the COE (Centre of Excellence).
“First, I thought, ‘I’ve played for so long and will it be motivating enough?’ But the moment my intention switched to ‘I want to play because I love playing. I just love batting. And I just want to focus on that’.
“And I could not care. It’s not like I didn’t field. I fielded the whole game and I was diving around and I felt like a child again. I was like, this is not about anyone else. This is about me and the game and that’s what it’s going to be. And the moment I feel like people are trying to complicate it for me and be like, ‘Oh, but this and that’…Either be clear, honest and upfront or be quiet and let me play.
“Look, if you go to your workplace, right? And if people say, we believe in your abilities.
“And then a week later, they start questioning the way you operate. It’s like, why? Either tell me on day one, I’m not good enough or I’m not needed. Or if you said I’m good enough and you say, we’re not even thinking otherwise, then be quiet. If you start operating up and down because of results, you can never have a consistent stance. And I’m not someone who behaves like that,” he added.
The former India captain admitted that playing the 2027 ODI World Cup would be special, but reiterated that it would only make sense if the trust and belief from both sides remained intact.
“As I said, when I come to play, I know what I can deliver in terms of effort. Performance: no one can guarantee performance in any space. But in terms of effort and commitment, I know what I can deliver because I literally live my life like that.
“It’s not like I prepare for a series to suddenly start working hard two or three weeks before. I’m like that throughout the year. So, if you call me to play and if you say there’s a series coming up: I’m ready.
“I’m always ready because that’s my daily life. I work out, and we eat well at home. It’s because I like living that way. It’s not only about playing cricket. So, that’s where I am. I mean, this 27 (2027 World Cup) chat and all that, honestly, for me, it’s like we’re at like mid-2026.
“But I’ve been asked so many times, do you want to play 2027? Like, why would I leave my home, get my stuff over and be like, ‘I don’t know what I want’. Of course, if I’m playing, I want to play cricket. I want to carry on. Playing a World Cup for India is amazing.
“But as I said, the value has to be two-sided,” the two-time World Cup winner said.
Advertisement
